IMD, a well-known business school in Lausanne, Switzerland, has raised Japan three places in its ranking of international competitiveness as a result of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s expansionary economic policies

In IMD’s 2013 World Competitiveness Yearbook released Thursday, Japan climbed to 24th place, up from 27th in 2012.

“Abenomics” is a combination of monetary easing, fiscal spending and longer term economic reforms aimed at revitalize the economy. IMD said Abenomics seems to be making the Japanese economy more dynamic. >> Read More

Following Friday’s mediocre US GDP report, concerns are rising that the US economy is in danger of backsliding.

 Europe, meanwhile, is in depression, and there are major concerns that China is sputtering out.

A bunch of big questions should be answered this week, as we get an avalanche of economic data.

The first week of any month is always big, and so this Wednesday (May 1) through Friday will be jam packed with fresh ISM reports (for Korea, China, Europe, and the US), initial jobless claims, and of course the big Non-Farm Payrolls report on Friday.

Monday and Tuesday will also be big, as we get Personal Income and Spending, Chicago PMI, Case-Shiller, and Consumer Confidence.

Other big events this week include auto sales, the ADP jobs report, and FOMC decision, productivity, the trade balance, and construction spending.

By the end of Friday we should know a lot more about the economy.

It should be a lot of fun, and we’ll be covering all of it live.

Reserve Bank Governor D Subbarao today said a growth rate of 5-6% is not sufficient for the economy, which has the potential to grow at double digit rate provided some issues are addressed.

“If we do the right things, we can get back on the track of the double digit growth,” he said at the IIT Kanpur Alumni meet here.

Pointing out some of the long-term challenges for the growth, Subbarao said there is a need for stable and predictable macroeconomic environment, removal of infrastructure deficit, skill improvement and job creation.

He said there is also need for raising agriculture productivity, and improvement of social sector outcome. >> Read More

• The pyramid of success (John R. Wooden)
• 43 lessons from 43 years (Get Rich Slowly)
• Five ways to be better at risk-taking (Real Simple)
• Traders should take early afternoon naps if possible (ABC News)
• Many similarities between high-performing entrepreneurs and profitable traders (Kelly O’Neil)
• Productivity is great, but balance is better (Jenn Vargas)
• What’s the secret to raising productivity and profits? (Sara Robinson)
• A short course in thinking about thinking (Daniel Kahneman)
• Three keys to much better decisions (Tony Schwartz)
• Money is just a number (Seth Goden)

• Simplify your life! (Henrik Edberg)
• 8 ways to ensure your trading doesn’t kill you (Inc.)
• Seinfeld’s productivity secret (LifeHacker)
• 12 things highly productive people do differently (Hack Life)
• Nine types of thoughts that will prevent you from succeeding (James Altucher)
• What’s wrong with the survivalist mentality? (Clark Howard)
• 10 things science and Buddhism says will make you happy (Wildmind)
• 12 ways not to be cheap (Business Insider)
• 7 lessons learned from the movie ‘The Artist’ (Rieva Lesonsky)
• A few questions to ponder this weekend (Hack Life)

• Habits that will help you live a happier life (Henrik Edberg)
• Overcome stress and reach success (Karlee Weinmann)
• Repeat until happy (Behavior Gap)
• Six exercises for those of us who spend most of the day sitting (MakeUseOf)
• Try midday workout to boost productivity (Greatist)
• How to identify and address your burnout problem (Lifehacker)
• 18 ways to inspire everyone around you (M&A Hack Life)

21 simple ways to live an exceptional life (Dumb Little Man)

• The top 20 best foods for your brain (Ecosalon)

• Ways to de-stress at your desk (Get Currency)

• Having a home gym is a great asset for home-office traders (High Chart Patterns)

• Five daily habits of successful entrepreneurs and traders (Open)

• A seven step plan to boost daily productivity (Open)

• How to become a great finisher (Heidi Grant Halvorson)

• 7 life lessons from the very wealthy (Ritholtz)

• 9 interviews with creative visionaries (The 99%)

The total lending by all public sector banks till December 2010 stood at Rs 2,94,000 crore. The net NPAs of these banks in this period increased by 70% compared to 46% in 2009-10.

The country’s largest bank, SBI, reported bad farm loans of around Rs 3,717 crore, highest by any bank in the first nine months of 2010-11. The increase in SBI’s bad loans has gone up by 80% compared to the bank’s total farm loan NPAs in the previous fiscal, according to finance ministry data. In 2009-10 , SBI’s agriculture NPAs were Rs 2,322 crore.

Andhra Bank reported a 168% rise in NPA while in case of Allahabad Bank, it was more than 157% and for Corporation Bank, it was 205%. Bad farm loans of Bank of India increased by 100% in the current fiscal till December 2010. >> Read More